Internal combustion engine lugging recorder



P 1969 n. KASHUBARA 3,464,262

INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE LUGGING RECORDER Filed June a, 1968 INVENTOR.

., DANIEL KASHUBARA BY FIG 2 7541M AGENT United States Patent 3,464,262 INTERNAL COMBUSTION ENGINE LUGGING RECORDER Daniel Kashubara, RD. 1, Canfield, Ohio 44406 Filed June 3, 1968, Ser. No. 734,081 Int. Cl. G01m 15/00; G011 3/26 U.S. Cl. 73--117.3 4 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A device for indicating when an internal combustion engine is permitted to lug, i.e., to strain when supplied with excessive amounts of fuel while operating at a low r.p.m., and for recording the duration of such lugging. A counter and warning lamp are operated by a pulsing circuit which is actuated when the engine r.p.m. drops below a predetermined value and the throttle is advanced beyond a predetermined position.

This invention relates to a device for visually indicating and recording the length of time that an internal combustion engine, for example a diesel engine such as are used in trucks, is permitted to lug.

The condition known as lugging occurs when an internal combustion engine operating at a low speed, typically around 1500 r.p.m. for automotive diesels, is fed an excessive amount of fuel, as in an attempt to rapidly accelerate the engine. This condition subjects the engine to greatly increased wear and may result in damage to the engine. It frequently results in a blown head gasket, necessitating expensive and time-consuming repairs. Devices have been previously proposed and are now available which provide a continuous record of the operation of the vehicle but these devices do not directly indicate when lugging has occurred and one analyzing the records these devices provide can, at best, merely guess if lugging has been allowed to occur.

It is the primary object of my invention to provide a device which accurately and instantaneously indicates the occurrence of a lugging condition in an internal combustion engine. It is also an object of my invention to provide such a device which provides an accurate record of the duration of the lugging condition. A further object of my invention is the provision of a lugging recording and indicating device which may be readily adjusted for use on a variety of engines having dilfering operating characteristics. Another object of the invention is the provision of such a device which is of simple, rugged, and troublefree construction and which may be manufactured economically and installed on an engine with a minimum of modification thereto.

The above and other objects and advantages of my invention will become apparent upon consideration of the following specification and the accompanying drawing wherein there is shown a preferred embodiment of my invention.

In the drawing:

FIGURE 1 is a schematic showing of a first embodiment of my invention; and

FIGURE 2 is a schematic showing of a second embodiment of my invention.

The invention consists, essentially, of a circuit for actuating a counter and/or a warning light which is responsive to the r.p.m. of the engine and to the quantity of fuel being supplied to the engine and which prevents false signals when the engine is not operating.

A battery 10, preferably the battery serving the electrical system of the vehicle, supplies current through a pressure switch 11 and through the normally open contacts 12' of a relay 12 to a flasher 19 of the type used with 3,464,262. Patented Sept. 2, 1969 ice turn-signals and warning lights, for example. The flasher 19 controls a lamp 20 mounted in the vehicle cab in a position where it is readily visible to the operator. The flasher 19 also controls a counter 22. A variable resistor 21 may be provided to vary the load on the flasher 19 and, thus, vary its rate of pulsing. The pulsing rate is preferably adjusted so that the counter will give a direct measure of the length of time the flasher operates; for example, if the flasher produces one pulse per second, the counter will indicate the total number of seconds the flasher is energized.

The relay 12 which actuates the flasher 19 is energized when pressure switch 11, switch 13, and throttle position switch 16 are closed. The switch 13 is controlled by a speed responsive mechanism 14 which has its input shaft 15 connected to the tachometer drive, for example, and, thus, is directly responsive to the engine speed. The speed responsive mechanism 14 holds the switch 13 in closed position when the engine speed is below a predetermined value, typically 1500 r.p.m., and opens the switch 13 when the engine speed rises above this value. In the illustrated embodiments the switch 16 consists of a wiper contact which rides on an arm 17 of the throttle linkage which pivots about the shaft 17'. The arm 17 is provided with a strip of insulating material 18 so positioned that, when the throttle is within the range where a non-excessive amount of fuel is being admitted to the engine, the wiper of switch 16 contacts the insulating strip 18 and the switch 16 is therefore open. It will be readily apparent that any switch arrangement which closes when more than a specified quantity of fuel is supplied to the engine may be substituted for the illustrated switch 16. For example, a mercury switch which closes when the arm 17 tilts beyond a certain angle may be used in place of the arrangement shown.

In order to prevent the relay 12 and, consequently, the counter 22 from being actuated in the event the throttle is advanced when the engine is not operating and regardless of whether the ignition is on or not, I provide the pressure responsive switch 11 which is actuated by either the oil pressure or fuel pressure from the fuel pump of the vehicle and this switch is designed to close only when such pressure exists, a condition which occurs only when the engine is operating.

In the embodiment shown in FIGURE 2 the relay 12 is omitted and the circuit for the indicator is completed through the switches 13 and 16. A timing mechanism 23 is provided to indicate the duration of the lugging condition.

Considering now the operation of my device, reference is made to the embodiment of FIGURE 1 but it will be readily apparent that the embodiment of FIGURE 2 operates in a similar manner. There are three conditions which must be present before the flasher 19, lamp 20, and counter 22 will operate. The engine must be operating at less than a predetermined speed, e.g., 1500 r.p.m., which is determined by the characteristics of the engine and above which lugging does not occur. The engine must also be receiving an excessive amount of fuel, which is again determined by the characteristics of the engine. If the throttle is advanced beyond the limit determined by the insulating strip 18 when the engine is not operating both the switches 13 and 16 are closed and if no other controls were provided the counter would operate indicating false- 1y that the engine has been allowed to lug. Since, as previously stated, lugging is harmful to the engine and as the readings of the counter are likely to be used to measure the efficiency and skill of the vehicle operator, such false readings are undesirable. Consequently, the third condition necessary to the actuation of the flasher, lamp, and counter is the presence of pressure in the fuel or oil lines of the engine, a condition present only when the engine is operating. When all three of these conditions are present, the engine is lugging, switches 11,13, and 16 are closed, and the flasher 19, lamp 20, and counter 22 are actuated. If any one of these three conditions ceases to exist, the lugging condition no longer exists, at least one of the switches 11, 13, and 16 opens, and the flasher 19, lamp 20, and counter 22 are inactive.

It will be readily apparent that the arrangement of the components of my invention shown in the drawing and described above may be varied without departing from the spirit of my invention. In particular, the relative locations of the switches 11, 13, and 16 are immaterial so long as these switches are arranged in such manner that the flasher 19, lamp 20, and counter 22 are actuated only when all three switches are closed.

I claim:

1. Apparatus for indicating the occurrence of a condition of lugging in an internal combustion engine, comprising: a current source; indicating means; a first switch responsive to the speed of said engine, said switch being closed when said engine speed is below a predetermined level; a second switch responsive to the quantity of fuel being supplied to said engine, said second switch being closed when more than a predetermined quantity of fuel is being admitted to said engine; the arrangement being such that said indicating means is operative only when said first and second switches are closed.

2. Apparatus according to claim 1 further including: a

4 third switch responsive to a condition present only when said engine is operating, said switch being closed "when said condition is present; the arrangement being such that said indicating means is operative only when said first, second, and third switches are closed.

3. Apparatus according to claim 1 further including: a relay having a normally open contact, said relay being in series connection with said current source and said first and second switches, and said normally open contact being in series connection with said current source and said indicating means. i

4. Apparatus according to claim 1 further characterized in that said indicating rneansincludes: means to indicate the length of time said indicating means is actuated.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,633,404 3/1953 Hathaway. 2,888,067 5/1959 Kuzmitz 73-116 X 2,894,252 7/1959 Lawhorn et al. 3,318,151 5/1967 Behrendt et a1.

RICHARD C. QUEISSER, Primary Examiner JERRY W. MYRACLE, Assistant Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 34620 

